Posts Tagged ‘chicken’

The inspiration for this recipe came from two sources. The first is one of mine and BeeBop’s favorite restaurants for a quick, casual dinner – Carrabba’s Italian Grill. It’s not 5-star dining by any means, but I actually think it’s pretty darned good. I usually have the Spiedino di Mare, shrimp and scallops grilled with a lemon butter sauce. It’s a real favorite of mine. However, the last time we went we both were in the mood to try something new and ordered the Chicken Bryan. It’s a grilled chicken breast topped with goat cheese and a sauce of basil, dried tomato, lemon and butter. We both like it very much, but I knew of something that could take that dish from really good to spectacular. That little something was Kay’s Pesto Rosso. The combination of the idea of Chicken Bryan with Kay’s Pesto Rosso and Chicken Kay was born!

“Summer time and the living is easy.” Really? Easy, maybe; HOT, yes! Today was the tenth day in a row with high temperatures above 90 degrees and humidity to match. But that’s really just typical for the deep south at this time of year. Hot and humid. So humid that there’s a hazy look in the air. It’s like living in a sauna, but hey, it’s wonderful for your complexion!

Because of the heat I was looking for something fabulous for dinner that wouldn’t heat up the kitchen and I found it in this delicious grilled recipe from Real Simple (www.realsimple.com). This chicken is marinated in a wonderful citrus and rosemary mixture, grilled and then served with a salad of romaine, orange sections and grilled onions.

This recipe is a good choice for a week night when you’re pressed for time but still want to put something homemade on the table. I chose to use thighs because they tend to stay moist through the longer cooking time needed in the oven. However, you could surely use whatever pieces you and your family like, or a whole cut-up chicken instead.

Our first Barefoot Bloggers challenge for April is Ina Garten’s Chinese Chicken Salad and it was selected by McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen. I have seen the episode a couple of times in which Ina makes this salad and I so wanted to like it. I knew it had some components that were not going to be high on BeeBop’s “love-it” list, but he’s a real trooper and will try anything once. So, with high hopes I followed the recipe to the letter and we dug in. Then we looked at each other what that “I’m not so sure about this” kind of look and tried another bite.

I am sorry to report, though, that neither of us cared for this particular Barefoot Contessa recipe. The first thing that hit me was how overly salted it was. Right after that was the fact that all you can taste, other than the salt, is peanut butter. The heavy, robust flavors of the peanut butter and sesame oil completely overwhelmed the delicate asparagus and red bell pepper. I could not taste the garlic or ginger at all. To me it was like eating a roasted chicken breast with peanut butter smeared all over it.

If I should ever make this recipe again, I would probably completely eliminate the salt, decrease the peanut butter to 2 tblsp or less, decrease the sesame oil substantially, and increase the honey, ginger and garlic. Also, I’d add something sweet (like mandarin oranges, possibly) and something crunchier (like sliced almonds, perhaps) to the salad.

Just in case you want to try this one for yourself, I’ve included a link above to the recipe on Food Network’s web site.

Sorry, Ina. Sorry, Barefoot Bloggers. But this one just wasn’t for us. I know the next one will be wonderful!!

I was recently honored to be accepted into the Barefoot Bloggers group. It’s a group of food bloggers who cook and blog about the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten’s, recipes. We all cook the same recipe and blog about it on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. So, my first recipe was Chicken Piccata. I knew we would love it because first it was a Barefoot Contessa recipe and second what’s not to like about chicken with butter, lemon and white wine?? Give this one a try. You’ll like it very much. I’m sure.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both side with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tblsp of water. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breat first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

Heat 1 tblsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tblsp of butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tblsp of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.